1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to power equipment of the type that has an internal combustion engine incorporated as a power source, a muffler connected with the internal combustion engine for muffling and discharging exhaust gas, and a blower driven by the internal combustion engine. More specifically, the present invention is concerned with power equipment such as portable power blower apparatus of a back-pack type which is commonly operated relatively close to an operator.
2. Description of the Related Art
Such a power equipment as is known in the art is so constructed that exhaust gas from an internal combustion engine is discharged through a silencer, namely, muffler to reduce the noise of an engine exhaust, in order to mitigate the discomfort of an operator and improve working efficiency.
However, such a conventional type of power equipment involves the following problems. Exhaust gas from the muffler is discharged with high temperature, and therefore there is a risk of causing a fire. In addition, the muffler has been a danger to an operator since the muffler itself is heated to high temperature.